Bell ringing, mochi making signal Oshogatsu, Japanese new year

Bell ringing, mochi making and family parties signal the new year in Japanese culture

holiday_oshugatsu_154_el.jpg Karen's daughter Alexandra,21, was 6 years old living in Tokyo and received this Hananetsuke, New Years game a bit like bad mitten. She can still remember the moment she got it feeling "it was too beautiful to touch."
Karen Clayton, her family including daughter Alexandra ,21, lived in Tokyo for several years and fell to adore Oshugatsu, Japanese New Year. Each year they bring out the decorations for New Years.
Eric Luse / The Chronicle Photo taken on 12/21/07, in Piedmont, CA, USA
Name cq by source
Karen Clayton
Alexandra MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/NO SALES-MAGS OUT less

holiday_oshugatsu_154_el.jpg Karen's daughter Alexandra,21, was 6 years old living in Tokyo and received this Hananetsuke, New Years game a bit like bad mitten. She can still remember the moment she got it ... more

Photo: Eric Luse

Photo: Eric Luse

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holiday_oshugatsu_154_el.jpg Karen's daughter Alexandra,21, was 6 years old living in Tokyo and received this Hananetsuke, New Years game a bit like bad mitten. She can still remember the moment she got it feeling "it was too beautiful to touch."
Karen Clayton, her family including daughter Alexandra ,21, lived in Tokyo for several years and fell to adore Oshugatsu, Japanese New Year. Each year they bring out the decorations for New Years.
Eric Luse / The Chronicle Photo taken on 12/21/07, in Piedmont, CA, USA
Name cq by source
Karen Clayton
Alexandra MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/NO SALES-MAGS OUT less

holiday_oshugatsu_154_el.jpg Karen's daughter Alexandra,21, was 6 years old living in Tokyo and received this Hananetsuke, New Years game a bit like bad mitten. She can still remember the moment she got it ... more

Photo: Eric Luse

Bell ringing, mochi making signal Oshogatsu, Japanese new year

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This New Year's Eve, like so many before, Lee Nakamura will be pulling an all-nighter. But his evening plans won't involve standing in a crowd counting down to a balloon drop in a grand hotel.

On Monday evening and well into Tuesday morning, Nakamura and his wife, Cathy, will be toiling in the kitchen of their East Bay home. They will be preparing to host family and friends who stop by on the first day of the new year to celebrate Oshogatsu, the Japanese new year.

Like the Chinese and Vietnamese new years, Oshogatsu was once based on the lunar calendar, with each year marked by a zodiac sign (2008 is the Year of the Rat). Since Japan adopted the Western calendar system in 1873, it has been celebrated on Jan. 1.

Leading up to the new year, to give themselves a fresh start, Japanese families embark on a thorough housecleaning. Traditionally, Oshogatsu itself is observed for three days.

It is more than just a party or a feast. "I do it for my kids," said Nakamura, the father of two teenage boys. "I want them to know who they are. If it's through food that they can carry on some of their culture, then that's great.

"When I was little, what I remembered was running around the table, seeing the food, spending time with my family. Then, as I got older, I started to understand the meaning behind it all. Now it's like I'm the teacher with my own kids."

At Berkeley's Tokyo Fish Market, which he runs with Larry Fujita, Nakamura welcomes the opportunity to educate customers about Oshogatsu - and not just fellow Japanese Americans.

"Berkeley is this great big melting pot," he said. "Many people are going to their friends' houses and want to bring something appropriate."

Nakamura usually points them to the kadomatsus, arrangements made of pine and bamboo. They are placed in front of the house as a symbol of good fortune.

The shochikubai also features pine and bamboo but is combined with plum blossoms. Another common decoration is the shimenawa, a braided straw rope often hung at a home's entrance to ward off evil spirits.

Foodwise, the Tokyo Fish Market's most popular item around this time of year is maguro, or tuna. It is served raw as sashimi for Oshogatsu.

When the guests start ringing their doorbell on Tuesday, the first item consumed will be a bowl of ozoni. The soup is made with mochi, or sticky rice cakes, and can include vegetables and meats.

Mochi is also prominent in the ubiquitous kagami mochi, also referred to as okasane. A mandarin orange sits on top of two mochi dumplings, the top one slightly smaller than the bottom. It is a common motif in the home and is also frequently presented as a gift.

Karen and Stephen Clayton have lived in Tokyo on three occasions for a combined seven years. She studied Japanese literature, and he received a degree in Asian law. Now living in Piedmont, the couple has fond memories of Oshogatsus spent in Japan.

"Our Japanese friends took us under their wing," Karen Clayton recalled. "We were invited over for these fantastically elaborate meals."

Clayton adorned her home with a kadomatsu and collected statues that correlated with the year's zodiac sign.

"At midnight on New Year's Eve, we'd always go to the local shrine," she said. "There were so many people - the kids were dressed up, the bells were ringing, there was a lot of clapping. It was very festive."

On Dec. 31, the bells at temples throughout Japan are rung 108 times. According to Buddhist belief, man has 108 sins. The tolling bells are meant to ring them away.

Locally, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco has hosted an annual bell-ringing ceremony for more than two decades. This year, the event will be held Sunday because the museum is closed Mondays.

Deborah Clearwaters, the museum's director of education, estimates that 1,500 to 1,800 people come out to ring the 2,100-pound bronze bell. The ceremony commences with a blessing by Zen Buddhist priest Gengo Akiba Roshi.

Kay Zeren and her sister, Madoka Hokamura, were raised in Kyoto and now live in the Bay Area. Their friends and family congregate at Zeren's Sunnyvale home every Jan. 1.

"What I cook is what I know - and what my mom cooked," Zeren said.

She added: "My parents were adamant about following rituals and passing them on. I think it's important to teach my kids my traditions because this is part of their heritage. I want them to understand and appreciate that there are many customs and cultures. Different families have different things that they celebrate."

Zeren has two sons with her husband, Greg, who is American-born. In the 10 years they have been together, they have celebrated Oshogatsu in the States as well as in Japan.

"It strikes me as similar to Thanksgiving," he said. "It's about hanging out with family and having that close family experience."

The couple is in agreement about their favorite Oshogatsu treat: kuromame, or sweetened black beans. Kay Zeren cooks the beans for three days so that they are "nice and soft," she said. It is one of many dishes that she cooks only for the New Year's celebration, partly because of the effort that they entail and partly because of the seasonal availability of ingredients.

Madoka Hokamura's husband, Hitoshi, is grateful for his sister-in-law's efforts. "Kay has been trying the hardest among all of us here in the U.S. not to forget how and why we celebrate Oshogatsu. ... I appreciate her very much as I can show and explain those customs to our three kids every year without going back to Japan," he said.

Growing up in Kyoto, siblings Kay and Madoka would start Oshogatsu with a blessing at the shrine in their house. They would pay tribute to their ancestors before partaking in a sake toast. (Kids are allowed just a sip of the rice wine. Greg Zeren likens it to the amount of wine used in Communion.)

Madoka Hokamura fondly recalls another Oshogatsu tradition: wearing the kimono. "As a child, I was really excited," she said. "I dressed my oldest daughter, Mariko, in kimono once several years ago but haven't done it since. I'm hoping I can do that again soon."

San Francisco resident Gary Nakagawa was also brought up celebrating Oshogatsu. "As a child, we would dress in Sunday school clothes and visit my grandma in the morning of the new year," he said. "We would have ozoni with mochi on the bottom. Then we would eat other traditional dishes. After a few hours, we would go to my other grandparent's house and do pretty much the same thing. It was one big party. Football on the tube, poker being played, and a lot of cooking, eating and drinking."

Today, he and his wife, Martha, travel to her parents' Sacramento home to help prepare and host the festivities.

"Christmas is good, but we always look forward to New Year's because it's more of a celebration - without the materialism," he said. "It's nice to start off the new year with your family. It's a way to help keep the family group tight."